Thyrsacanthus boliviensis (Nees) Côrtes & Rapini

Ezcurra, Cecilia, Côrtes, Ana Luiza A. & Daniel, Thomas F., 2019, A synopsis of Thyrsacanthus (Acanthaceae) in Argentina and Paraguay, with notes on generic delimitation, a new combination, and lectotypifications, Phytotaxa 395 (2), pp. 81-88 : 84-85

1. Thyrsacanthus boliviensis (Nees) Côrtes & Rapini in Côrtes et al. (2010: 967).( Fig. 1C )

Basionym: DreJera boliviensis Nees (1847b: 334) . Anisacanthus boliviensis (Nees) Wasshausen (1992: 149) . Type:— BOLIVIA. Chiquitos, Orbigny 786 (lectotype G 00236118! designated by Wasshausen (1992); isolectotypes BR 0000013219215!, GZU 000249981!).

Schaueria caduciflora Grisebach (1879: 261) . Anisacanthus caduciflorus (Griseb.) Ariza (1983: 255) . Type:— ARGENTINA. Salta: Orán, Gran Chaco, Laguna del Palmar, Lorentz & Hieronymus 564 (lectotype designated here GOET 000003! –top right, isolectotypes CORD00006225! and CORD 00006226!)

Jacobinia caducifolia Grisebach (1879: 261) . Anisacanthus caducifolius (Griseb.) Lindau (1894: 18) . Type:— ARGENTINA. Salta: Orán, Tabacal, Lorentz &Hieronymus 926 (lectotype designated here GOET 000002!; isolectotypes B destr. photo F 8758!, CORD00006227!).

Anisacanthus ruber Lindau (1895: 371) .Type:— BRASIL. Mato Grosso do Sul: pr. Corumbá, Kuntze (holotype B destr. Fot. F 8761!, lectotype NY 00278884! designated by Côrtes et al. 2010).

Anisacanthus malmei Lindau (1897: 662) .Type:— PARAGUAY. Concepción: Colonia Risso, in silvula aprica solo sicco calcareo, Lindman A2123b (lectotype designated here S S09-9136!, isolectotype S S03-2312!)

Shrubs or subshrubs up to 3 m tall (- 6 m fide De Marco & Ruiz, 1976), generally deciduous during flowering; branches cylindrical, longitudinally striated, puberulous when young, glabrous at maturity. Leaves petiolate; petiole 1–2 cm long; lamina 2–6 cm long, 0.5–3 cm wide, ovate, rounded at the base, acute at apex, more or less pubescent, chartaceous, with the margin somewhat wavy. Inflorescence of secund flowers arranged in spikes grouped in simple or double clusters at end of branches. Bracts and bracteoles narrowly ovate, less than 2.5 mm long, more or less densely sericeous. Calyx about 4 mm long, glandulose. Corolla red, 2.5–3.5 cm long, with a narrow basal tube about 1 cm long, throat 1.5 cm long, widening to 5 mm diam. at the orifice, the upper lobe 1–1.5 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, the three lower lobes 1–1.5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide. Stamens 2, exserted; filaments 1.5 cm long; anthers 3–4 mm long. Ovary puberulous; style prolonged beyond the anthers. Capsule 1.5–2 cm long, puberulous. Seeds 2–4, aprox. 4–5 mm diam., tuberculate-rugose. Retinacula 2–3 mm long.

Geographic distribution and habitat: —Southern Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and northern Argentina, in the provinces of Jujuy and Salta. It is found in the ecotone between the Chaqueña and Yungas phytogeographic provinces and in low mountainous areas of the Chaco region, from 300–1500 m, often growing on calcareous soil. It usually sheds its leaves in winter, during the dry season, and flowers mainly from August to November.

Notes: —This species is characterized by its profuse red flowers that appear in the end of winter, and its pubescence is very variable.

We have selected lectotypes for names of species first described by Grisebach in Plantae Lorenzianae (Grisebach, 1974) and Symbolae ad Floram Argentinam (Grisebach, 1979) because in these publications he did not indicate specific holotypes but only specified localities of material collected by P. G. Lorentz, G. Hieronymus and other collectors from Argentina that was sent to him for study in Goettingen, Germany ( Hunziker, 1960).

The protologue of Schaueria caduciflora Grisebach only mentions the locality “ Orán, Gran Chaco, in ripariis, Laguna del Palmar”. At GOET there is a sheet that bears multiple plants and labels with different collection numbers and slightly different locality information. One label bears Lorentz and Hieronymus’ number 564 (with locality information “Gran Chaco, Laguna del Palmar”) and another label bears their number 554 (with locality information “Ufer der Laguna del Palmar bei Bella Vista” and a date “21.VI.73”). All three labels bear Grisebach’s handwriting, and all plants on this sheet were likely used by him in composing the protologue. It is not entirely clear which label corresponds to which plant on the sheet. However, loose material consisting of a stem, leaves, flowers, and a fruit at the top right corner of the sheet (apparently in a packet) has a label with the number 564 and bears somewhat illegible writing in Grisebach’s hand that clearly ends with the word “Chaco”. This loose material, which undoubtedly corresponds to one of the nearly naked shoots on the sheet, is designated as the lectotype, because it consists of more complete material.

The protologue of Jacobinia caducifolia Grisebach only mentions the locality “ Orán, in sylvis Tabacal”. In this case we designate the Lorentz & Hieronymus 926 specimen GOET 000002 as lectotype of Jacobinia caducifolia because it is the only one in which the species name is written in Grisebach’s handwriting, and it agrees well with the protologue in all other aspects.This specimen was treated as the holotype by Wasshasuen & Wood (1992). Grisebach’s handwriting is not present in the duplicate in B (now destroyed, but photographed in the F negatives collection of European types), or in the one in CORD.

Also, from the syntypes mentioned in the protologue of Anisacanthus malmei Lindau (Lindman A2123b and Lindman A2123, plus Malme 1075), we designate Lindman A2123b (S S09-9136) from Colonia Risso, Paraguay, as lectotype, because it is a complete specimen that has flowers and fruits, both of which are described in the protologue. In addition, a duplicate of this specimen, now destroyed, was studied by Lindau at B, on which “ Anisacanthus malmei Lindau n. sp. ” is written in Lindau’s handwriting (as evident from F photo 8759).

Representative specimens examined:— ARGENTINA. Jujuy: San Pedro, cerros de San Pedro, Venturi 5026 (LP, LIL, SI). Salta: Orán, Laguna del Palmar bei Bella Vista, Lorentz & Hieronymus 554 (GOET) . PARAGUAY. Alto Paraguay: Fuerte Olimpo y alrededores, Mereles 4076 (FCQ) ; Collina Yaté, 170 m alta, ca 80 km ad meridiem Fuerte Olimpo, Bernardi 20459 (G, MO, NY). Chaco : Cerro León , 60º 15’W, 2Oº 26’S, Schinini & Bordas 17792 (G, MO, US) . Concepción: Puerto Risso, zw Río Apa und Río Aquidabán, Fiebrig 4203 (G, K). Nueva Asunción: Piste de Mariscal Estigarribia vers cerro León, pk 141, Billiet & Jadin 3266 (BM, G, MO, NY) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Thyrsacanthus sulcatus, flowering plant.B.Thyrsacanthus sulcatus, inflorescence.C.Thyrsacanthus boliviensis, flowering branch. (photographs:A and B from Uruguay by Andrés Gonzalez, C from Bolivia by Thomas Daniel).